This invention relates to a computer implemented method and a computer system for processing and presenting data to provide exploded views of an assembly represented, for example, as computer aided design (CAD) data.
CAD data is used in many different applications. CAD data can be used to model very complex structures that include many sub-assemblies and components. For example, CAD data can be used to model ships, aeroplanes, cars, motorcycles, tools, and indeed all forms of devices. There are also many different packages available for generating CAD data and the resulting data files can have very complex data structures.
Viewers can be provided for viewing data from different formats. Such viewers can also be used for manipulating the data from those different formats.
In order to facilitate the interaction with CAD data, to facilitate the manipulation of that data by a user, and the generation of images in respect thereof, it is desirable to provide the user with the tools which are able to understand and manipulate the data. The invention seeks to facilitate the display and/or manipulation of data defining assemblies, to enable the generation of exploded views in an efficient manner.